How to plant 100's fruit trees in Escondido, CA?

[MorroBay]

I’d start by slowing down and getting the feel for the land before you plant everything.  I know you wanna get stuff in fast but you gotta know your property before you drop in 300 trees.  Might be cheaper to lose a few root bound trees than having to take out a whole block of trees.  Plan, plan, plan and don’t skip steps.  Good luck, keep us updated.

[Ken Bee]

Ken, gophers don’t eat Cherimoya roots, they got word from the rats about parkinsons. I’ve planted alot of Cherimoya in gopher territory and never seen any signs of damage.

Hi Jonah,  Thanks for the confirmation.  Maybe we use cherimoya as a barrier around other fruit trees that are susceptible to gophers.

Ken

[Ken Bee]

I’d start by slowing down and getting the feel for the land before you plant everything.  I know you wanna get stuff in fast but you gotta know your property before you drop in 300 trees.  Might be cheaper to lose a few root bound trees than having to take out a whole block of trees.  Plan, plan, plan and don’t skip steps.  Good luck, keep us updated.

Thanks, I will take everyone's advices seriously, take it slow, and get the basics done first.  I will update on my progress. 

Ken

[zands]

Good luck with your tough growing conditions. Gary from Palm Springs used to be here a lot. He is in a suburban house. In his back yard and more (of course!) Gary planted fruit trees (mostly mangos) close together. They reinforced each other to retain moisture and shaded each other. I think he had a high stone/concrete block wall helping his efforts. Enough to create a wet mini-oasis in his dry area of California. He created his own wetter micro-climate. He admitted as much to me directly about 8 years ago on this forum. I believe Simon is well acquainted with Gary.

The video of a tour of Dr Richard Cambell's mango-centric farm near Miami. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeCrZC_5slU
He has an upper canopy of fast growing non-fruit trees that shade the fruit trees below. I think this would be a good approach in your so called hellscapes. Plant these "nurse" canopy trees to protect your young fruit trees. At a certain point when your orchard is established. When the fruit trees are mature enough to shade each other and become sun-resistant. Then you cut down all or some of these upper canopy trees. Or maybe cut their height in half.______ Perhaps inter planting banana stalks will shade young fruit trees enough. Moringa perhaps?

Also  I have seen photos of the large organic Keitt mango orchard in California. It was a few years ago but if iirc it was a three acre orchard out in the middle of nowhere. Nowhere meaning there was just bare dry, barely vegetated land surrounding it on all sides with some foothills rising in the distance. Find this guy, visit his farm and ask him how he established his Keitt orchard. Being organic and all he can probably name his Keitt selling price. As in how many large mango orchards are there in California? One? Two? Five? Cannot be more than five.

I am open to correction on any of the above__

[johnb51]

zands, I don't think anyone called it a "hellscape."  (Only when the Santa Ana winds blow.)

[driftwood]

if you want a hellscape, try hiking hellhole canyon

[johnb51]

if you want a hellscape, try hiking hellhole canyon

Actually I was thinking Death Valley.

[Ken Bee]

Good luck with your tough growing conditions. Gary from Palm Springs used to be here a lot. He is in a suburban house. In his back yard and more (of course!) Gary planted fruit trees (mostly mangos) close together. They reinforced each other to retain moisture and shaded each other. I think he had a high stone/concrete block wall helping his efforts. Enough to create a wet mini-oasis in his dry area of California. He created his own wetter micro-climate. He admitted as much to me directly about 8 years ago on this forum. I believe Simon is well acquainted with Gary.

The video of a tour of Dr Richard Cambell's mango-centric farm near Miami. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeCrZC_5slU
He has an upper canopy of fast growing non-fruit trees that shade the fruit trees below. I think this would be a good approach in your so called hellscapes. Plant these "nurse" canopy trees to protect your young fruit trees. At a certain point when your orchard is established. When the fruit trees are mature enough to shade each other and become sun-resistant. Then you cut down all or some of these upper canopy trees. Or maybe cut their height in half.______ Perhaps inter planting banana stalks will shade young fruit trees enough. Moringa perhaps?

Also  I have seen photos of the large organic Keitt mango orchard in California. It was a few years ago but if iirc it was a three acre orchard out in the middle of nowhere. Nowhere meaning there was just bare dry, barely vegetated land surrounding it on all sides with some foothills rising in the distance. Find this guy, visit his farm and ask him how he established his Keitt orchard. Being organic and all he can probably name his Keitt selling price. As in how many large mango orchards are there in California? One? Two? Five? Cannot be more than five.

I am open to correction on any of the above__

Hi Zands, 

Thanks for the advice and sharing your knowledge.  I believe the Keitt mango orchard you are referring to is near the Salton Sea, similar to what's in Palm Springs.  Besides Keitt, they have lots of VP too.  The condition there is much more extreme than mine.  They do whitewash their trees during summer.  I believe they are doing well and have expanded more mango acreages. 

I am only about 10 miles from the coast with ocean breeze every afternoon.  I am hoping that I don't need to go to extremes to grow fruit trees here.  But, I am prepared to do whatever it takes to get them going.

Ken